Zoe Smith was famous as a teenager for being dubbed ‘Britain’s strongest schoolgirl’ and last night the weightlifter would give anyone a run for their money as the nation’s smiliest gold medal winner.

The 20-year-old south London weightlifter, 5ft 2 and a half inches in her socks, spectacularly upgraded the Commonwealth bronze she won aged 16 in Delhi in her -58kg category four years ago to glittering gold here.

In taking the title ahead of Nigeria’s Ndidi Winifred in second place and the veteran Wales lifter Michaela Breeze, 35, in third, Smith set a Games record for her total lift of 210kg and also a record of 118kg for her clean and jerk. Breeze’s snatch of 93kg was a Games record.

Check: Zoe Smith bites her gold medal after triumphing in the 58kg weightlifting event in Glasgow

Overcome: Smith fights back the tears on the podium after being given her gold medal

After completing her last lift, Smith performed a backflip on the SECC stage and unleashed a megawatt smile that remained on her face until the medal presentation. It beamed through the anthem even as a few tears of joy fell.

‘Oh my God, I loved every second of that, I’m not on the planet at the moment,’ Smith said afterwards. ‘The Nigerian girl gave me a run for my money, but I got the gold.

‘I saw what the records were standing at only a few weeks ago, and thought to myself “I want that”.

‘I got really tired halfway through, but I just had to push through it. I knew Michaela was hot on my tail. She’s always the best in the snatch.

‘The support has been crazy. My sister, mum and boyfriend are in the audience. Everyone has given up so much to support me and I’m so grateful.’

On her Games record, she added: ‘I have done 118kg before and I knew I could do it, but doing it on the day, well, I just can’t believe it. I can go back to all the people and say: “Yeah, I got it.”

Smith has not had always had the smoothest ride. She faced what she perceived as discrimination from those who thought weightlifting was macho, and had her funding put in jeopardy after Delhi.

‘But my team put a really good campaign together and they made the right decision in giving me back my funding. I feel really lucky,’ she said.

On her status as a role model as a young woman in a sport where sheer strength is key but not an impediment to expressing her femininity, Smith said: ‘I love getting tweets from women and men saying I’m an inspiration. That drives me on.

‘I am so touched when I get messages from support from other women and men too when they say I inspire them to go lifting.’

At London 2012, where she finished 12th in her class having endured taunts that female weightlifters looked like men, she said: ‘We don’t. I’m a girl, I wear make-up and lip gloss and things like that … What are you doing with your life? I’ve just competed at the Olympics.’

She concluded: ‘Next stop, Rio!’

Poetry: Smith celebrates after becoming the first British woman to win Commonwealth weightlifting gold

On her Games record, she added: ‘I have done 118kg before and I knew I could do it, but doing it on the day, well, I just can’t believe it. I can go back to all the people and say: “Yeah, I got it.”

Smith has not had always had the smoothest ride. She faced what she perceived as discrimination from those who thought weightlifting was macho, and had her funding put in jeopardy after Delhi.

‘But my team put a really good campaign together and they made the right decision in giving me back my funding. I feel really lucky,’ she said.

On her status as a role model as a young woman in a sport where sheer strength is key but not an impediment to expressing her femininity, Smith said: ‘I love getting tweets from women and men saying I’m an inspiration. That drives me on.

In motion: Smith went two better this time round after winning bronze at Delhi in 2010